THE GUERRILLA ANGEL REPORT — [Update: Suspect arrested, see below.] Legendary Miami south beach area drag queen, Wanda, was shot and killed in Tampa, Florida. Towleroad is reporting that she was greeted with 5 bullets when she tried to answer a door while visiting someone. The shooter got away. Police say mistaken identity may be involved but no one is exactly sure why this has happened.

There is no apparent connection between this shooting and the earlier Tampa shooting of another trans woman, Coko. In that case, the shooter, Spencer Tavares apparently has been in police custody for a while. Coko is recovering from her injuries.

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UPDATE — June 9, 2013. Tampa Police have arrested Deandre Tolliver and charged with 1st-degree murder. They believe Wanda died during a home invasion conducted by Tolliver and two other “subjects”. The police is still trying to identify them. Tolliver is reported to be the one who fired the shots. Wanda was at the house visiting a sick friend.

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It is interesting to note that I’m getting blowback on social media for writing about this death — indeed, a couple of people unsubscribed from this blog immediately following its publication.

While people can have their own thoughts on the matter, I believe EVERYBODY under the trans umbrella deserves equal protection and rights — you know, ‘hang together or else, everyone will be hanging separately.’

A life is a life, regardless of how one identifies. Any violence against someone that identifies outside of the gender binary, should be handled the same, by law enforcement, as those that fall into the gender binary.